Microsoft President and chief legal officer Brad Smith joins CNBC's &quot;Closing Bell&quot; to discuss Microsoft pledge of $500 million to tackle Seattle's housing crisis. The pledge is the largest in the companyís 44-year history, and, according to the company, is one of the heftiest contributions by a private corporation to housing. The initiative comes as Microsoft and other tech giants that have driven the regionís economic boom face increasing pressure to help mitigate affordable-housing shortages. Read Article

Gareth Aird of the Commonwealth Bank says weakness in house prices in Australia is expected to continue, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, but should bottom out &quot;sometime&quot; in 2019. Read Article

The slowdown in home sales and home price gains in most major U.S. markets is causing the opposite effect in the rental market, especially for single-family rental homes. Those rent prices increased 2.9 percent annually in November 2018. Read Article

Builder sentiment rose 2 points to 58 in January according to the National Association of Home Builders. This came after two months of sharp drops in sentiment to the lowest level in more than two years. The index stood at 72 a year ago. Read Article